Archery Season Set to Open in Wyoming

Archery season is just around the corner. Most areas open to archers for pronghorn on Aug. 15 and for deer and elk on Sept. 1. A few areas have different opening dates, so bowhunters should check regulations for seasons in the area they plan to hunt.

Game and Fish spokesman Al Langston says one of the most common questions asked by archers is, " if I don’t get my elk with my bow can I hunt with my rifle when the gun season opens? " Langston says the answer is usually. He adds archers who do not fill their tag during the archery season may return and hunt with firearms during the gun season. The exception is that holders of Type 9 archery-only licenses may hunt only during the archery preseason—they may not hunt on that license with firearms during the gun season.

He says another common question is " can I use the same archery equipment to hunt elk as I use for deer? " He says the answer is possibly, as long as it conforms to minimum draw-weight requirements. Regulations require the bow to have a minimum draw weight of 40 pounds for deer and antelope and 50 pounds for elk and moose.

Langston says for more information on archery seasons, regulations and hunting equipment, consult the “archery”section of the regulations for each big game species.